Mike Fahey

War! What is it good for? Mainstream media attention and a massive influx of fresh pilots to the ever-growing universe of EVE Online.

This chart, presented today by CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson, shows the number of trial accounts for the company's flagship space MMO over the game's 10-year history.

See the spike in 2014? That's the direct result of the massive battle in EVE Online last week, when a missed bill payment threw an entire solar system up for grabs. The real-world value of the ships lost in that battle neared $300,000, drawing the attention of major news outlets and capturing the interest of around 15,000 folks who signed up for a free trial to see what the hubbub was all about.